I hope to make this walk down
memory lane a continuing series of articles choosing a particular
story from comic's past that either have some comic book historical
significance or just important for my own personal nostalgia's sake.
This time I want to look at Marvel Two-In-One number 46 that came
out in 1978. This one isn't like the first story ever written by
Alan Moore,
John Byrne,
Stan Lee,
or anything like that. No this one is just one I used to carry
around all over the yard reading all through the following summer.
My original copy was extremely worn out. Luckily I found a much
better copy for my collection.

It does have a lot of points in
the nostalgia department for kids that grew up in the 70's. This one
written and drawn by
Alan
Kupperberg was wrote around the
Incredible Hulk TV show, and if you liked superheroes back then
you probably were glued to the set every Wednesday or Friday night
the Incredible Hulk aired.

It starts out with the
Thing the blue
eyed idol o' millions coolin' his heels like some superhero has been
while the Hulk
makes it big with his own TV series.

Meanwhile, back in the cold nighttime of the Nevada desert, a tortured
scientist roams the streets with no shirt or shoes of course walking
upon a TV in a store window. On the set plays the Hulk getting kissed by
a girl. Instead of being overjoyed Banner is angered by having his life
turned into a soap opera and transforms into the Hulk smashing the sets.
Then he's off to
California.

Meanwhile
Karen Page Hollywood
actress is kidnapped at the same time the Thing arrives on set and the
Hulk lands busting through the
M.A.S.H.
set. Of course the Hulk blames the Thing for making Hulk look dumb on TV
and a huge fight begins. The Thing does the best he can fighting the
Hulk and trying to catch up to the kidnappers at the same time.

By the end the Hulk decides his show is ok, or
he'll be back to smash of course. The kidnappers are caught, and the
Hulk jumps off into the sunset. Meanwhile, the Thing goes back to
New York to await what he hopes to be a grand and glorious TV
contract. Instead what he gets is a proposal to star in, "Thing in
the Family"!

Perfect fun to read. A comic story that
doesn't take itself too seriously, it has some chuckles, a fight
scene, and a little bit of comic book destruction. What else could a
kid ask for in a comic book.

Trivia note: The writer of this story,
Kupperberg has an extensive video archive and is known as an expert
on TV history, particularly the history of TV comedy.

Man would this have been cool to own. If memory
serves me correctly mom must have thought this cost too much.
Spider-man
Energized actually had a light, pulled things with his web, and
had an awesome helicopter. Man I was deprived!

Notice the Fantastic Four cartoon in
the ad, and
Godzilla who also had his own Marvel Comic that year. Godzilla was
roughing it up with the entire Marvel Universe back then and in
Godzilla #20 the Fantastic Four were seen on the cover pounding away
at Godzilla.

The Bullpen Bulletins In this one Stan Lee talks about the Japan
Spider-man TV show. Notice another ad for the Fantastic Four cartoon
with Herbie replacing the Human Torch.